Denis Leary made his first big impression as a hilariously angry stand-up comic in the early '90s with his one-man show
No Cure for Cancer. Screen parts followed, and he quickly proved that he could be funny and threatening simultaneously (see
The Ref). In 2001 he turned to the small screen in the critically acclaimed but short-lived cop dramedy
The Job. He finally tapped into his Irish luck in 2004 with
Rescue Me, an edgy hit drama set in a firehouse.
Denis Leary Fast Facts:
- Classmates at Emerson College included Mario Cantone, Eddie Brill and Steven Wright.
- Founded the Emerson Comedy Workshop and briefly taught at the college after graduating.
- Formed his own production company called Apostle.
- Won a CableACE Award for Best Director of a comedy for Showtime's National Lampoon's Favorite Deadly Sins.
- Founded the Leary Firefighters Foundation in response to a warehouse fire in downtown Worcester that killed six firefighters, including his first cousin.
- Third cousin of Conan O'Brien (through marriage).
- Denis Leary Relationships:
- Ann Leary - Wife
- Devin Leary - Daughter
- Jack Leary - Son
- John Leary - Father
- Nora Leary - Mother
- Denis Leary Awards:
- 2005 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2005 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 2009 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- College:
- Emerson College, Boston, MA (1979)